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Synonyms for birch tar oil are Oleum Betulce albce, 0. Betulce pyroligneum, 

 0. betulinum, 0. lithuanicum, 0. muscoviticum, 0. russicum, 0. Rusci and 0. Brusci. 

 The two last- mentioned names, according to P. MacEwan, have their 

 origin in a corruption of "Brzoza", the Polish name of the birch, while 

 Greenish 1 ) assumes the word "Rusci" to be a contraction of "Russici". 

 In any case, it has no connection with Ruscus aculeatus, as might be 

 thought at first sight to be the case. 



Only the Russian oil enters into consideration for medicinal purposes, 

 and is reputed to be more efficacious than that obtained in Germany and 

 Holland. The crude oil has a sp. gr. of 0,926 to 0,945 at 20°. Accord- 

 ing to Bennett the sp. gr. of the rectified oils of commerce varies from 

 0,880 to 0,930. 



Buchu leaf Oil. We have been unable, for a considerable time, to 

 give this oil a place in our lists, because in spite of our most strenuous 

 endeavours we have not succeeded in finding suitable distilling material 

 at an acceptable price. The strong demand for genuine buchu leaves in 

 the United States has raised the prices of this drug to a level that for 

 the present excludes altogether the possibility of distilling this oil, which 

 in any case is not very much used. 



The Cape correspondent of The Chemist and Druggist' 2 ) furnishes some 

 interesting information on buchu leaves, of which we give the following 

 summary: — 



As is well known, the drug is derived from several species of Barosma, 

 indigenous in South Africa, of which up to the present about eight are 

 known 3 ). Three of these (B. betulina, B. serratifolia> and B. crenulata), are 

 official in Europe, but in Cape Colony other species are also used. 

 At the Cape, "oval buchu" (i. e. the leaves of Barosmabetulina and B. crenu- 

 lata), and "long buchu", (i. e. the leaves of Barosma serratifolia) are diffe- 

 rentiated. "Oval buchu" is the species most collected; its value ranges 

 from 9 d. to 1/- per lb., while "long buchu" is only worth from 3 d. to 4 d. 

 per lb., although about 20 years ago the relative values were reversed. 



It is characteristic of the Barosma species that the leaves of the same 

 plant differ considerably from each other. The shrubs, which grow on 

 mountainous slopes, reach a height of from 3 to 7 feet, according to locality 

 The Western Provinces, viz. Clanwilliam, Tulbagh, Piquetberg and Worcester, 

 produce "oval buchu", the Eastern, viz. Riversdale and Swellendam, "long 

 buchu". The collection of the leaves is carried out very indiscriminately 

 only quantity and not quality being considered, and the work is done by 

 the poorer class of native farm labourers. The branches are carried home 



!) Pharmaceutical Journal III. 14 (1883), 381. 

 2 ) Chemist and Druggist 76 (1910), 358.* ;-', \ 



8 ) According to Engler (Die naturlicheu Fflcmwnfamilien, III. Part, IV. Div. p. 149), about 

 15 species of buchu occur in South Africa. ! <= 



